Denver cycling accidents on track for all-time record in 2012

Editor's note: This is the fourth in a series of reports about biking and bike safety in Denver and beyond.

Update: After we reported yesterday that the number of bike-related accidents jumped from 2010 to 2011, the Denver Police Department sent us new statistics for 2012 -- and it's looking like this year is on track to be a lot worse.

This year, through July 8th, there have already been 228 accidents, which nearly matches the total number of collisions throughout the entire year in 2011, and already has surpassed 2010 as a whole.

The statistics aren't broken down by type, so they could refer to bike-pedestrian, bike-bike or bike-auto accidents. In 2011, DPD had 239 on record, and in 2010, the total came to 202. Assuming that more cycling accidents will continue to take place over the summer and into the fall -- especially since there are more cyclists on the road in Denver -- we can expect the city to not only break its record on bike accidents by year's end, but shatter it.

See our earlier coverage below.

Original post, 10:25 a.m. July 9: As cycling in Denver increases dramatically, there's one growing pain that is causing concern for drivers, cyclists and pedestrians alike: the rise in collisions.

"It's time for a comprehensive public education campaign...[on] how to coexist safely on our roadways," says Piep van Heuven, executive director of advocacy group BikeDenver. "The reality is most of us in Denver have been on a bike. We walk places. And most of us have a car."

Doug Linkhart, the former council rep who was in a biking accident last month.

DPD officials say they are still putting together statistics for 2012, so we don't have anything on bike-related accidents this year. But between 2010 to 2011, there was definitely a jump.

In 2010, there were 202 bike-related accidents. Last year, that number rose to 239. These stats aren't broken down by type, so they could be bike-pedestrian, bike-bike or bike-auto.

On one side of the debate, some are concerned that cyclists carelessly and regularly break laws -- running through stop signs, ignoring red lights -- and put others and themselves in danger in the process. On the other side, some cyclists say drivers are uneducated about cycling and do a bad job of sharing the road with bikers -- as they are legally required to do.

"Sadly, I think it is common to talk to bicyclists that have a story about having a crash with an automobile," says van Heuven. "It's also common to hear people talking about...an incident with a person on a bike that is not following the law."